Community Reading Events 2017-2018

Fall semester

Cheikh Lô & The Ndiguel Band – Concert

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 8 p.m.

“Cheikh Lô has a voice that can move from a prescient whisper to a searing gut cry… an eclectic composer and arranger who tries new ideas on every song” (NPR). Conveying a laidback funk within the rippling polyrhythms of Senegal’s signature mbalax, he cross-pollinates with Ghanaian high-life, Jamaican reggae, and Afro-Cuban beats that keep his band’s talking drums particularly chatty. With a gentle, high tremolo or sudden bass-line plunge, Cheikh Lô implores listeners to embrace peace, love, and steadfast spirituality; one needn’t be fluent in Wolof or Bambara to be carried away by his captivating voice.

Thursday September 28
10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon. Discussion with Cheikh Lô moderated by Prof. Wendy Wilson-Fall and hosted by the Muslim Students Association. Using a white tent and carpets, the group will set up a mosque on the Lafayette quad.

The Sachal Jazz Ensemble – Concert

Thursday, November 2, 2017 8 p.m.

In defiance of years-long Taliban influence on local culture, Pakistan’s classical masters preserved their music and improvisational techniques underground, emerging in 2011 with an ambitious recording covering Western jazz standards on traditional instruments. The Sachal Jazz Ensemble’s angle on Paul Desmond’s “Take Five” went viral, earning them world-wide recognition and an invitation from Wynton Marsalis to perform at Lincoln Center. In this cross-cultural, genre-bending concert, works by Mancini, Brubeck, and Grusin converse with practices from a cradle of civilization on sitar, flute, sarangi, and tablas—truly the quintessence of “world music.”

Iman Raad – Lecture

Thursday, November 2, 2017 4:00 p.m.

Iranian artist Iman Raad’s highly contemporary aesthetic marries influences as diverse as traditional Persian miniatures and digital glitch art. As part of his residency at Lafayette’s Experimental Printmaking Institute, he will discuss his work and influences in this public lecture.

Spring semester

Lalla Essaydi – Gallery Show

February 3 – April 7, 2018

Lalla Essaydi isn’t afraid to appropriate Orientalist imagery from the Western painting tradition in order to invite viewers to reconsider the Orientalist mythology. Her sumptuous explorations of the image of woman in Islamic society address the complex reality of Arab female identity from the unique perspective of personal experience. As Essaydi puts it, “In my art, I wish to present myself through multiple lenses—as artist, as Moroccan, as traditionalist, as liberal, as Muslim. In short, I invite viewers to resist stereotypes.”

Friday, February 9, 2018 8 p.m.

With stark simplicity and a narrative that feels remarkably relevant to the moment, Beyond Sacred stages the personal and complex stories of young Muslim New Yorkers at a time of increasing Islamophobia. Created by Ping Chong + Company, this interview-based theater production illuminates the daily experiences of individuals who reflect a wide range of Muslim identities, yet share the commonality of coming of age after 9/11 and of being the “other” in America. A poignant new work, and “a lesson in human understanding, drawn from real lives” (The New York Times).

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